Traditional bench vises, of which I am aware, provide a clamping jaw which have only one angle of attack in order to effect clamping. That is, the clamping jaw is limited so it may only be moved laterally in the direction of the main body. Such a structure is disadvantageous where: (1) the workpiece being clamped is of an irregular shape; and (2) where one desires to bend the workpiece along the edge of the device while it is clamped.
Traditional bench vises, of which I am aware, also do not provide for an adequate working surface which can be utilized for working on the workpiece during the clamping thereof. Finally, traditional vises of which I am aware are not readily adaptable for use anywhere on the surface of a bench, but rather, are adapted to be used only at an edge thereof.
Thus, it will be appreciated that there remains a need for a bench vise having a clamping jaw capable of clamping a workpiece utilizing a variety of angles of attack. There is also a need to provide a bench vise which provides a surface adequate to permit work to be performed thereon. There is also a need for a bench vise which combines all of these features, that is more compact, that provides better "purchase power" and stability and which is adaptable for use on any portion of the surface of a bench.